Insanity Is Not An Option

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Missing My Girls at Christmas

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These are my girls:  Paet (left) is 17 and a senior in high school, Bry (right) is my first born and now 22.  I adore these two beautiful girls!  They were my world for 12 years.  It was just me and them against the world, and we were winning!

They are still a huge part of my life even though my “world” has grown.  I love my girls and they love their Mommy.  But they are both still in Georgia.  And although I talk to them both on a regular (pretty much daily) basis, there is not a minute of the day that my heart doesn’t long for them to be with me…right HERE with me!
This longing and loneliness grows during the Christmas season.  I’m not depressed as some get during the holidays. I have the babies, and I have B, but my “world” is not complete without all of them!  There are two very large holes and I want them filled.  
So we are plotting and planning, and wishing for a Christmas miracle.  Bry’s car is in need of repair and plane tickets are sky-high (pun intended).  But maybe, just maybe, Santa will read this Mommy’s list, realize I’ve been “pretty good” all year, and grant me the one and only present that I want.  The gift of my girls with me on Christmas day!  

Miracles do happen, and I do believe!

It’s December! And the Count Down Begins! Top 5 Christmas Movies Ever!

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We are one of those rare families left that doesn’t start celebrating, decorating, or even discussing Christmas until, well, after Thanksgiving!  I love Christmas with all the bright lights, the pretty decorations, the gift giving, and the family time!  But it has it’s place in the year, and that place is the entire month of December!

And we actually celebrate all month in different ways.  We begin decorating on December 1st (although this year, I did jump the gun by a couple of days because I snagged the last WHITE tree at Walmart), and we continue decorating for the entire month.  We craft, we hang snowflakes, we sing Christmas songs, and we discuss the true meaning of Christmas!
But one of our favorite Christmas month activities is sitting down as a family and watching all of the fabulous, heartwarming, and funny movies that are on only at this time of year!  We all have our favorites, but I’d like to go ahead and share my personal Top 5 Christmas movies EVER according to Christy!

Number 5:  How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  The 2000 Ron Howard/Jim Carrey version of course!  Who wouldn’t enjoy this classic tale with the movie’s modern-day flair and humor?  And each time I watch it, I swear my heart grows 3 sizes that day!  And I get to giggle a whole bunch too!

Number 4:  Miracle on 34th Street.  Either version is worthy of being on my list but I personally prefer the 1994 version over the 1947 classic.  Its probably quite obvious, but I believe in Santa Claus.  This movie proves his existence.  You can’t argue with a good movie!  Case closed!
Number 3:  Holiday Inn.  I know, it’s not actually a Christmas movie but that’s when I watch it!  And yes, I do mean the 1942 Irving Berlin classic here starring the infamous Bing Crosby (my favorite crooner EVER) and the awesome dance moves of Fred Astaire.  This movie might be OLD but its a winner in my book.  It was a simpler place and time.  They had fun, they knew how to throw a great shindig, and everyone was always smiling, singing, and dancing!
Number 2:  White Christmas.  Yes, again with the 1954 classic.  I told you I’m a sucker for an old classic and in this heart-warming tale starring Bing Crosby (have I told you how much I love him yet?) and Danny Kaye, I laugh, I cry, and I remember the true meaning of giving.  This isn’t just a movie, its a life lesson!  It’s a VERY CLOSE second to my all-time #1 favorite Christmas movie ever.
Number 1:  ELF.  Quite arguably the best movie ever made!  This 2003 gem starring Will Ferrell is so quotable, so hysterical, and so full of fun, how could you not love it?  And I cry through the whole thing!  Tears of laughter throughout, and somehow tears of joy at the end!  Brilliant! We watch this one at least 20 times throughout the month of December.  I own it just in case it doesn’t air enough!  Don’t be an angry elf, go out and get your copy today!
So there you have it folks!  That’s my list.  If you haven’t watched all of the above, I highly recommend that you do!  
I’d love to hear some of your family’s favorites as well!  Happy December everyone!  Welcome to the month of Christmas!  I think this will be the best one ever! 

I’m Getting a Fake White Christmas Tree and I Couldn’t Be Happier!

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This year, I will be getting a fake WHITE Christmas tree and I couldn’t be happier!
You see, I’ve wanted one for years!  I remember in a land far, far away (California) in a dimension not so far from my own (my toddlerhood), we had one and I loved it!
I don’t remember much from this time period, nor this fabulous land but I remember this tree and it was beautiful!
I remember that my mother loved it!  I remember her decorating it, and singing, and smiling!  I have always wanted to capture this elusive memory and make it part of my own Christmas!
But I have been unsuccessful!  My ex-husbands (they are ex’s for more than just this reason) didn’t buy into my enthusiasm.  They thought it was too “girly”.  I’m a girl…girly is my thing!  But I never got one of these elusive, sparkly beasts!  Sadness!
And over the years, I have endured either the fake green trees, or worse yet, the live furs!  Understand that I do not agree with cutting down a live tree to watch it die over the course of the holiday!  This does not fit with my lifestyle!  I do not like to KILL nature (or anything)!  And worse than that, I am miserably allergic to any form or fashion of a pine!  Having these in my house is like asking you to pump yourself with the worst allergen ever!
But since I have been knocked down with this (fabulous) idea so many times, I didn’t dare venture there again.  I have kept my mouth shut and gone with the flow!  Tonight, I could contain myself no longer as the family and I headed back from grocery shopping.  
I told B what I wanted, I explained how much I had loved my Mom’s tree in our early years. I poured my heart out over my longing for this white awesomeness, and I expressed my understanding of how “girly” this tree was.  I put it out there, ready for the rejection…once again!  
But much to my surprise (although in hind sight, I have no clue why I was surprised), this man lovingly looked at me and said “Girly?  You are a girl!  Whatever you want baby!  Just go get it!”.  Are you freaking serious?  WOOT WOOT!
So this year?  This fabulous year!  I am going to have a WHITE fake Christmas tree in my house!  It will be a white Christmas here inside our home!  And it will be stupendous!  And I will be happy!  You know what?  It’s the little things that matter most in life!  And this little thing has me thrilled!
I hope you all get to embrace the beautiful things in your life this holiday season!  I am thrilled that I will have my WHITE fake tree, but I am even more thrilled that I have a husband that loves me enough to “go along with” my dreams, however big or small they might be!  And for children that will adore whatever simple presents Santa might drop under said tree!  
My life is so awesome and I can’t even begin to count my blessings because I’m no good at math and there are way too many numbers to add here!  
Be thankful, be happy, and follow your heart!  If the people around you love you enough, they will indulge all of your silly wishes!  It’s a beautiful thing!
Stay tuned because there WILL be pictures!  You know you won’t want to miss those!  Peace and blessings!